UK

6th May 2009

2:17 PM — Reaching out to gay rights groups is one of Tory leader David Cameron's top five priorities, it has been claimed. A shadow cabinet member told ConservativeHome.com blogger Tim Montgomerie that the move is part of Cameron’s drive “to show that ‘new Toryism’ is still alive and kicking”.

10:49 AM — A man who attacked his former lover has been convicted of assault, criminal damage and theft. Jonathan Wicks and his co-defendant Neil Warner, both 21, smashed ceramic vase over the head of Kieran Dulai and beat him with a curtain rod

5th May 2009

5:12 PM — A Welsh police force has taken on a trans woman to help train officers about hate crimes. Michelle Douglas contacted Dyfed Powys Police last year to ask if she could help educate officers about transphobia.

4:53 PM — Trans Yorkshire and Press for Change are to lobby MPs at Westminster later this month in a bid to improve gender identity services in Leeds. The groups claim that Leeds Gender Identity Clinic insists on "complete compliance" during treatment, rather than promoting an atmosphere of health and wellbeing.

12:44 PM — A lesbian couple who were found dead in a north London hotel died in a suicide pact, it has been reported. Bose Ore, 30, and Frances Hamilton, in her fifties, were found in a room in Costello Palace Hotel in Finsbury Park on Sunday.

11:00 AM — The Rev Scott Rennie, a gay minister whose appointment is threatening to split the Church of Scotland, has spoken about his struggle to face up to his sexuality and reconciling it with Biblical teachings.

10:12 AM — American singer Pink has denied being bisexual after a tabloid reported she had come out. The star, whose real name is Alecia Moore, was quoted by the News of the World as saying: "I'm not embarrassed about being bisexual. This is who I am."

9:21 AM — The Minister for Equality and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Harriet Harman has denied a newspaper report that she would fight for the leadership of her party.
The Daily Telegraph claims that Ms Harman has told friends that she would run for the leadership of the Labour Party in the event of a backbench revolt against the Prime Minister.

1st May 2009

5:50 PM — Norfolk's first gay festival will be launched in Norwich on July 24th and July 25th. The event will be called Norwich Pride and will include a parade, a church service and an afternoon of live music. It is also set to feature stalls, lectures and workshops.

5:43 PM — The fifth annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) is to be held on May 17th. The date marks the day in 1990 when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.

4:36 PM — The Openly gay Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, Rhonda MP Chris Bryant, has criticised the Conservative party over a poll which suggested that 71 per cent of Tory candidates for the next election support the right of religious adoption agencies to refuse gay couples.

2:47 PM — An Evangelical group which spread false rumours about a gay minister has been forced to apologise. Forward Together told its members that Scott Rennie left his wife and young daughter to live with another man.

11:34 AM — A man has been charged with murder after a gay couple were shot in their home in Bradford. Neville Corby, 44, died in the "execution-style" attack, while his partner Craig Freer, 31, is recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

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